Michael McDonald is returning to the Doobie Brothers to record an album of collaborations with country artists including Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Zac Brown Band, Toby Keith, Sara Evans and Love and Theft.

According to Billboard.com, Doobie Brother Tom Johnston says there has never been any bad blood between the band and McDonald, who left in 1982. "It amazes me how long that has hung around because it have never been the case, ever," Johnston said. "A lot of people wanted that to be the case because of the two different styles of music, but it never was. I always got along really well with Michael and vice versa.” Johnston also noted that while the two don’t get to see each other often because they’re both on the road so much, they do catch up from time to time. “Michael is a great guy,” he said. “He’s always fun to hang with.”

The track listing for the album is being kept secret at the moment, but the project was inspired by the band’s appearance on CMT Crossroads: The Doobie Brothers and Luke Bryan in 2011. Johnston said he didn’t realise how large their fan base was amongst the country music community: "I'm humbled. I had no idea all these people were into the band.”